Car Plows Through Demonstrators At St. Louis Vigil for Transgender Woman

Demonstrators at a vigil to honor a transgender woman killed by police Tuesday were were nearly victims themselves when a black Mercedes sedan plowed into several people Wednesday night. Those hit suffered minor scrapes and bruises but none serious enough to require medical attention. The attack occurred on Manchester Road in St. Louis, Missouri near the Transgender Memorial Garden where the vigil was taking place.

The vigil commemorated Kiwi Herring, a transgender woman who was shot and killed by police officers last Tuesday. Officers received a call for cutting in North St. Louis but when they arrived Herring was holding a knife and refused calls to put the knife down. Herring then stabbed a police officer in the arm as well as a neighbor before officers were forced to shoot. Kristy Thompson was with Herring and charged today in connection with the assault. Thompson has been charged with assault and armed criminal action for the part she played in the stabbing of the neighbor who remains in critical condition. Twitter user David Carson posted images of the vehicular attack on social media. In his tweet, Carson describes how the car drove through protesters after being surrounded and forced to stop. One person ended up on the hood of the car before bouncing off but sustained only minor injuries.

Pictures leading up to the attack have not been published but there is a possibility there is more to this story. According to Carson's account on Twitter, the demonstrators were walking in a large group down a public roadway when they surrounded the vehicle. There is a possibility the driver of the vehicle felt threatened and feared for their safety prompting them to ignore the demonstrators blocking them in and drive away. It is unknown at this time if any criminal charges will be pursued for the driver or any other parties involved.